~ by grads of VCFA

Author Archives: Annemarie O'Brien

For checklists and the mechanics on conducting a successful author school visit go to your publisher’s web site and search ‘school visits’. Random House, for example, features a site called Set up a Visit that outlines basic information you and the host school should follow.

Because even the best planned events might experience some sort of hiccup I also read numerous posts on the subject from authors who shared their experiences in the trenches of elementary schools. Here are my top ten tips to minimize some of those hiccups:

Tip # 1

Alexis O’Neill

Before you do anything, sign up for blog posts from School Visit Experts. Alexis O’Neill offers a place for published authors to find and share advice on how to create and deliver quality programs for kids, teachers, and librarians. It’s an awesome blog about author school visits. Even if you’re not yet published, sign up and…

Waggers is a Razortail Whippet. The famed Razortail Whippet isn’t actually a breed recognized by the Westminster Kennel Club, but that might be because I made it up. Waggers needed his very own category. His tail is that unique. I have a feeling there are a lot of un-identified Razortail Whippets out there just waiting for Westminster Kennel Club to recognize them, too.

Aside from his destructo-tail, Waggers is really a sweet little man, who loves to do anything Moni and Michael want and will stop at nothing to protect their house from the most evil of all villains, the Sciuridae, also known as the squirrel.

I think you’re onto something, Stacy and the WKC should consider the Razortail Whippet as a new breed!

In 70 words or less, provide a succinct plot description of your story.

Moni and Michael are so excited to adopt Waggers. Waggers is too. His tail goes crazy. He can’t stop it. Moni and Michael don’t mind. Waggers is so sweet, and it’s just a tail. How much harm can it do?

What inspired you to write this story?

Waggers was inspired by our most recent family member, Desi, a German Shepherd/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix we adopted from the pound. She has got a tail on her that literally clears tables and pounds cracks in walls. It’s amazing it took me more than a week to realize she was the perfect protagonist for a story.

What was the biggest challenge you had writing your story? How did you overcome it?

The biggest obstacle to this story was to take reality and fictionalize it such that it works as story, not fictionalized reality. That must sound weird, but it’s sort of like the difference between a person trying to act vs. someone acting, or, say, pretending to be excited about a present vs. being skin-tinglingly excited.

What other YA/MG books have you written? Do any of them feature a key dog character? If so, which ones? What are these stories about?

This is my seventh book. Five of the seven are aquatic picture books. The sixth is a middle grade fiction with dragons. This is my first dog book, and it has been so much fun. I want to write about dogs all the time now. Maybe it’s because of Desi, or maybe it’s because writing this story has been so much fun. Either way, I think Waggers is the beginning of a new trend.

What kind of story can we expect next from you? Is it about a dog? If so, what is it about?

My next story is a picture book called Tour de Trike, and it’s about a tricycle race. There are no dogs, not yet anyway. The YA I’m working on is set in a drowning world. There are no dogs in it either. However, I have the outline for a new MG called Dogspell. Tada!! It’s about a dog and a girl who swap places. Literally.

What else would you like us to know about you or your story?

Hmmm…how about that that adopting a dog—which is what Waggers is all about—is one of the most exciting, most fun, most rewarding experiences, but it can be hard too. After all, a dog is a new family member. You have to get to know them and vice versa. There might be days when walking the dog is a drag (or you’re dragged). Don’t give up! It will get better. Or, you’ll fall in love with your dog and not care as much. Maybe a little of both. Desi’s tail has gotten better. She still clears a coffee table every once in a while, but I’ve seen her actually slow her tail when walking by one. And I’ve learned to put things up a little higher. But most of all, she’s become a part of our family. I can’t imagine a day without her.

Good advice, Stacy. Taking care of a new puppy or dog requires a lot of time and work.

Can you remember the first book that made an impact on you? And why?

Gosh, that’s a tough one. I’ve been reading since I was three. Go Dog Go was my most favorite book then. It was the book that taught me to read, the one I memorized, the one I took with me when I ran away from home at the age of 3 to go to school. I followed our neighbor to the high school around the corner, found my way to the principal’s office. He said I’d have to be able to read to go to his school. I proudly whipped out Go Dog Go and read it cover to cover. I got a tour of the school after that, and I was in preschool the next week. Go Dog Go!

Thats’ a great story and why am I not surprised that you’d want to start at high school?

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Everybody’s road to publication is different. Don’t be afraid to try anything, no matter how crazy, in your writing. And don’t give up. It can get hard, really hard some days. But the people who make it are the ones who stick with it. That advice has stuck with me through some pretty bleak moments, and gotten me through them.

I agree a 100%. It’s the writers who stick with it and struggle through the tougher times that finally see a contract.

Where can readers go to find out more information about you and/or your books?

My website is a great place to start. If they don’t find enough there, or on FB, Twitter, or my blog, drop me an email. I’d love to hear from you!

Some of you may know Deborah Halverson as a former children’s book editor at Harcourt. Some of you may know her through the children’s books she’s authored: HONK IF YOU HATE ME, BIG MOUTH, and LETTERS TO SANTA. And some of you may subscribe to her advice at DearEditor.com website. While well familiar with all that Deborah Halverson does with triplets in tow, I became a huge fan of her how-to-write-YA book, WRITING YOUNG ADULT FICTION FOR DUMMIES. It is my number one go-to-craft-writing-resource in the courses I teach at UC Berkeley and Stanford because she nails every point I want to cover with my students in a clear, concise, and understandable manner and simplifies my job.

Halverson has now come out with a new writing craft book, WRITING NEW ADULT FICTION no doubt because of all the buzz this new genre featuring eighteen-to-twenty-five-year-old characters is getting. She solicits NA contributors–Alana Albertson, Sylvia Day, Karen Grove, Robin Ludwig, Kevan Lyon, Molly McAdams, and Nicole Steinhaus–to give those of you interested in writing or teaching NA fiction more insight. And like she does in her YA writing craft book, she breaks down just what you need and want to know about writing NA fiction in the same clear manner with full engagement.

So if you have questions about writing NA fiction and want answers, leave a comment on this post and share this book give-away contest on any social media platform of your choice. The winner will be selected on November 8, 2015 and sent their very own signed copy of WRITING NEW ADULT FICTION.

Thirty-two MFA alumni from the VCFA Writing for Children & Young Adults Writing Program were once again warmly welcomed by faculty, students, and the administration this past weekend. While my fellow S3Q2 classmates were sorely missed for what would have been our 5th reunion, it was nice to see a good alumni showing celebrating their 10th anniversary under picture perfect blue skies and zero humidity.

What a lovely surprise it was to see LARA’S GIFT featured on The Table at the VCFA bookstore alongside some of my favorite writers! It was also displayed cover open in another prominent spot. Thank you, VCFA Bookstore!!

Highlight # 1 – Friends

I’ve been making the long haul from California to Vermont every year since I graduated in 2009 to visit with old friends and meet new ones. Cyber hugs can’t beat the real thing and this girl likes to get her yearly fix.

Thai Dinner with Marion Dane Bauer

With Kathi Appelt

With Jaqui Lipton, my former student, now a first semester resident

Highlight # 2 – Nikki Grimes Lecture

Nikki Grimes – AMR 2014

Nikki Grimes delivered a Master Class on voice, poetry, and metaphor that inspired all of us. Some quotes I culled from her lecture include:

“If a reader loves a character, he will follow that character almost anywhere.”

“Do a good job creating your characters and readers will talk about them like they are real people.”

Highlight # 3 – Author Introductions

Nowhere in the world, but at VCFA, can you get an introduction worthy of a beloved King. Rita Williams-Garcia and Louise Hawes lived up to the VCFA tradition when they had the honor to introduce Nikki Grimes and Marion Dane Bauer, respectively.

Rita Williams-Garcia

Louise Hawes

Highlight # 4 – Reading by Marion Dane Bauer

Marion Dane Bauer dazzled us with a reading of a Sure-To-Become-World-Classic-Picture Book titled THE STUFF OF STARS recently acquired by Candlewick. Her agent, Rubin Pfeffer thought it was so good, he bought a dozen designer cupcakes and presented it in person to Editorial Director, Elizabeth Bicknell and her staff.

Highlight # 5 – Nikki Grimes Word Play Exercise

If the first words that come to you are cliché and you struggle to find something fresh to describe your characters or setting, what do you do? Look no further. Nikki Grimes, poet extraordinaire and award-winning author, offered a Word-Play Exercise to help you study a word from the inside out.

Close your eyes and think of a word. Hold it closely, but give yourself permission to play with it and as you do sift that word through your senses, and think about all of the possibilities of that word. What does that word taste like, sound like, look like, feel like, and smell like? When you’re done, open your eyes, and write a poem about that word using poetic tools like metaphor, similes, alliteration, repetition and/or formats like haiku, cinquain, or rhyme to describe that word for someone who has never experienced that word.

Highlight # 6 – Lisa Doan’s Reading

Lisa Doan, author of the BERENSON SERIES had all of us laughing during her alumni reading from her next book.

Highlight # 6 – Margaret Bechard’s Lecture

Margaret Bechard

Margaret Bechard gave a lecture on Questions and Answers and How it Relates to Tension in Typical-Witty-Brilliant-Margaret fashion. Her lecture was based largely on Will Dunne’s book, THE DRAMATIC WRITER’S COMPANION—a book every serious writer should have in their library.

Some of Margaret’s quotes include:

“The function of a story is to make the reader worry. Questions keep the reader in two places at once and engage your reader by what’s happening in the now, as well as what’s going to happen.”

“When you have answered one question, you must immediately pose a new one. Furthermore, as you are in the process of answering a question, you should be setting up a new question.”

“Music is not in the notes but in the silence between them. This kind of gap in your writing is the tension in your story.”

“The million-dollar question for writers is: When do you pose and answer the questions in your story? The quick answer in building tension lies in the Goldilocks Rule: not too early, not too late, but at the just right moment.”

Highlight # 7 – Nikki Grimes Metaphor Tip

Metaphor comes best from the images and words of your character, setting, or world. Be sure to use words and images related to the environment and the time-period of your own story.

Highlight # 8 – Café Anna

Cafe Anna

Café Ana was a pleasant surprise on campus and where most of us had an Earthy-Crunchy-Organic-Vermont-Breakfast each morning to start the day.

Highlight # 9 – Noble Lounge

At the podium talking about Content Marketing

VCFA has grown so big that the current students now meet in the Chapel leaving alumni with Noble Lounge. What a treat it was to go back in time to where we heard our first lectures and delivered our graduate lectures! Here I am at the podium lecturing on Content Marketing.

Highlight # 10 – Catherine Linka’s Talk

Last, but certainly not least was the time we had with Catherine Linka, bookseller and author of A GIRL CALLED FEARLESS. She shared some tips on working with bookstores. She highlighted the important role that Edelweiss Above the Treeline plays in educating booksellers about our books and stressed that we must all take the marketing questionnaire that our publisher sends us seriously.

The 2014 AMR ended for me at Morse Farms in Christine Dowd’s company with a soft serve maple ice cream cone. Delish!

Mark your calendar! The next AMR will NOT be held during the residency. It will be held from June 18-21, 2015 and the featured authors will be M.T. Anderson and Katherine Paterson!

And be sure to share your highlights in the comment section for VCFA alumni unable to make the trip home.

What’s next is a question I’ve been asking myself since Greenhouse Literary Agencysold my first book, Lara’s Gift to Erin Clarke of Knopf in 2011. It’s also a question I thought I would have answered and moved forward on upon the release of Lara’s Gift in 2013.

So what’s the problem?

While I’ve got plenty of story ideas churning around in my head, I’ve actually enjoyed launching my first baby into the world and have allowed my schedule of school visits, book club events, fairs, and readings to balloon out of proportion at a cost to my writing time. In a market where publishers want writers to actively promote their books how do we writers—especially those of us with families and day jobs—balance book promotion and our writing time?

Photgraphy by Erin Summerill

For sure, I don’t have all the answers. I might even be the worst person to talk to about balance as my plate only seems to grow larger by the day, not smaller.

What I can encourage is this: give yourself permission to take time away from the routine demands of your life. Go on a retreat, alone or among other writers. There’s nothing better than a retreat to jumpstart the writing juices, nurture craft, and realign priorities. Make time for your writing because nobody else will. And that’s exactly what I did this past weekend in Orlando, Florida among fellow Greenhouse authors and the Greenhouse team: Sarah Davies, John Cusick, Polly Nolan, and Allison Hellegers.

Photography by Erin Summerill

One of the perks of being a Greenhouse author is the vision Sarah Davies had early on for the kind of literary agency she wanted to build. For starters she chose the name Greenhouse because it evokes a place of warmth and growth. And Greenhouse is indeed a place where each author is treated like a vital part of the garden and nurtured to bear the kind of fruit that could only come from each of our own unique voices and limbs. Hats off to Sarah for the vision and for picking a top notch team to help her execute that vision!

Sarah kicked off the retreat with a motivating talk to inspire us in 2014. There were a number of great takeaways. One of my favorites: go to the compost of your imagination, let it decompose, and then recompose it into new stories with a fresh slant. Sarah encouraged all of us to tap into the emotions of our childhood, to mine the memories, and pull out the most emotionally charged ones. More importantly, she reminded us to be brave in tackling the truth behind these emotions.

Photography by Erin Summerill

Another takeaway I took from Sarah’s talk came from her reading of All the Truth That’s in Me, written by fellow VCFA alum and friend, Julie Berry. She turned the theme of Julie’s book around and asked each of us: “What’s the truth in you? Find it and write it.”

With truth and finding it the core message of her talk, Sarah left us with a quote from Picasso: “Art is the lie that enables us to realize the truth.”

Polly Nolan (UK Rights) and Allison Kellegers (International Rights) shared their thoughts about their respective markets. The big takeaways: gone are the days of big advances and quick sales. It can take years before a deal is made so rather than foster frustration at what might not be happening; celebrate the success of the moment like getting published in the first place. Focus on the positives, remind yourself of how hard it is to get published, and live in the moment of these successes. Don’t worry about what’s coming or not coming. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when a deal does close.

Photography by Erin Summerill

The biggest overseas markets are Germany, followed by Brazil, and then France.

John Cusick talked about the power of personal recommendation and word-of-mouth, the secret grease of publishing. He shared his thoughts on networking and made us believe—in the style of Disney—that it isn’t a bad word. He urged us to find the community within our stories to connect with potential readers. He shared another seed of wisdom, in today’s world when our attention is a commodity, know what to ignore, know what needs to get done. Sign up for Freedom to block social media. Give yourself small goals each day. They’ll add up to something fruitful.

Photography by Erin Summerill

We had a lovely dinner hosted by Greenhouse on Saturday evening Cuban style followed by a Talent “Situation” where John Cusick sang and played the piano to everyone’s delight; stylish songwriter and author, Tommy Wallach shared one of the songs he wrote that inspired/was inspired by his story [be on the lookout for the album that will come out with his debut book];

Photography by Erin Summerill

Sue Cowing read one of her poems, “Teacher’s Pet,” from My Dog Has Flies; Dawn Metcalf showed us why nobody would want to mess with her after a few black belt moves; Tami Lewis Brown, Catherine Linka, and Sarah Aronson hosted a trivia contest around children’s literature.

The highlight of the evening was Sarah Davies’ performance singing a rewrite of “These are a Few of My Favorite Things” and playing a very small guitar-like instrument. What a voice!

The weekend was well represented by Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA alums: Sarah Aronson, Tami Lewis Brown, Caroline Carlson, Winifred Conkling, Sue Cowing, Catherine Linka, Annemarie O’Brien, and Shawn Stout. Page Cathren joined us for some lively discussion before the retreat started and hosted me with Miss Lee the night prior.

A warm hug to Erin Sommerill for offering her charm, talents, and keen photographic eye in capturing candid shots, as well as author photos.

A BIG shout out to Jan Gangsei, fellow author and event planner, for managing all of the details of the retreat weekend to lovely perfection.

A huge thanks to Hillcrest Elementary School, Sherri Spicer, librarian extraordinaire; Natalie Storch, one of the most welcoming parent chauffeurs I’ve ever met; and the children in second, third, fourth, and fifth grades for letting me come to their school prior to the retreat to share Lara’s Gift. They were an enthusiastic group of kids with lots of good questions and a passion for reading.

And a very special thanks to the little Hillcrest girl who said she was “vibrating with happiness all morning to meet the author.” Comments like this make my time away from writing well worth it.

And sometimes it’s just healthy to get away for the warm welcome home!

For checklists and the mechanics on conducting a successful author school visit go to your publisher’s web site and search ‘school visits’. Random House, for example, features a site called Set up a Visit that outlines basic information you and the host school should follow.

Because even the best planned events might experience some sort of hiccup I also read numerous posts on the subject from authors who shared their experiences in the trenches of elementary schools. Here are my top ten tips to minimize some of those hiccups:

Tip # 1

Alexis O’Neill

Before you do anything, sign up for blog posts from School Visit Experts. Alexis O’Neill offers a place for published authors to find and share advice on how to create and deliver quality programs for kids, teachers, and librarians. It’s an awesome blog about author school visits. Even if you’re not yet published, sign up and start learning now!

Tip # 2

In 9 Ways to Get Teachers to Love Your Author Visit O’Neill brings up a valid point about the Q&A session of an author talk. Sometimes it’s hard for the author to hear the kids’ questions, and their questions are often repetitive or off-track. To best prepare, ask teachers for questions ahead of time, and then choose which to answer. Another option is to develop your own questions and build them into your presentation.

Waimea Canyon Middle School – 6th grade

The number one question I always get is: “How did you come up with the story idea for Lara’s Gift?” Instead of waiting for someone to ask this question, I ask the audience: “What do you think is the number one question kids ask me?” The kids become engaged and multiple hands shoot up.

Kapaa Elementary School – 5th grade

Here I am in Kauai on a school visit where the hugs were boundless and the leis welcoming. One school even invited the only pair of borzoi living on the island into the classroom to give the kids a chance to meet a real borzoi!

Tip # 3

In 4 Ways to Make Librarians Love Your School Visit, Toni Buezzeo gives great advice: Understand and design presentations to respond to local curriculum.When you are in a school, you are temporarily in the position of an educator. Because every school hour is precious in this age of standards-driven education, and because in all but five states (see map), those standards (entitled the Common Core State Standards) are national, it is easier now, than ever before, to incorporate them into your presentations. Start here and then solicit help from teachers you know to refine your presentations.

Tip # 4

If you are working with a bookseller to set up a school visit, Catherine Linka, author of 7 Ways to Make Indie Booksellers Love You recommends that you be absolutely clear from the first conversation with a bookseller if you need to charge for a school visit. “It is fine with us [Flintridge Bookstore] if this is how you make your living, but do not expect us to get the business for you. We will, however, be happy to supply books after you have made the deal. If you can afford to do free school visits, it will be a treat for us to call our customers and set those up.”

Tip # 5

Laura Purdie Salas gives great advice in From 5 Things I’ve Learned about School Visits: send posters and free books once the author school visit contract is signed. She had some mini-posters printed with a bunch of her book covers and an announcement that “Laura Purdie Salas is coming to school on ________!” On the back of the posters she printed tips to help the adults prepare for her visit. She sends 3-4 posters plus 2-3 of her trade hardcover books in advance. She says, “The cost is well worth the extra excitement the materials generate.” I took her advice and created my own poster.

Tip # 6

O’Neill stresses the importance of connecting with your audience by Telling Stories about Yourself. Whether you are speaking to an adult audience or to kids, remember to weave in a story or two about yourself – ones that listeners can connect with. Dig for funny or poignant nuggets from your growing up years, disappointments/heartbreaks, celebrations (disastrous or otherwise), unexpected kindnesses from others, family vacations (or lack thereof), school (conflicts or triumphs).

Tip # 7

What do you do if the bookseller at your school event doesn’t bring enough books? O’Neill offers a great solution in From Economical Bookplate Solutions: send them a signed bookplate for every book sold that goes unsigned. It’s disappointing – to you and to readers — when schools or bookstores run out of your books during your appearance. Being able to autograph and personalize a book can mean the difference between a sale and no sale.

Tip # 8

It is worth repeating what Dan Gutman says in The Perfect Author Visit inthat a successful school visit usually comes down to how much preparation the librarian, teachers, PTA, and principal put into it. Here are some suggestions from Gutman that you can share with your host school:

 Tell students the author is coming starting at least a month in advance. Put the author’s books on display in the school library. Put a display of book covers up in the hallway.

 Have classes read the books and write book reports or think up questions to ask the author.

 Throw a contest and have the winners receive autographed books.

 Have an art class make posters, banners, and bookmarks welcoming the author.

 Have a writing class write reviews of the author’s books.

 Arrange for the students on the school paper to interview the author.

 Call the local newspapers. Maybe they’ll send a photographer to cover the event. If they don’t, take pictures yourself and submit them.

 If the author writes about a specific subject, create a theme day around it at school.

 Talk it up. The more excited you are, the more excited the kids will be. And when the kids are excited, any message the author gives them will really hit home.

Tip # 9

Camille Powell

Camille Powell, a.k.a. Miss BookMoot gives lovely insight on author visits from a librarian’s perspective in Advice for Authors on School Visits. The section that hit home most with me was “what to talk about”:

 Often, kids know how a manuscript becomes a book. It is interesting and even MORE fascinating if you tell the story of something exciting, horrible, difficult that happened during the process.

 Students have been taught how to use a library or how to do research . Share something interesting that happened or that surprised you while you did your research. Where did you go to do your research? Got pictures?

 Talking about revision is interesting IF you can relate your challenges in the writing process. If you are sharing a manuscript page bleeding with corrections and suggestions, make sure they can see the details on the page with a visual (a slide or overhead.)

 Illustrate and explain a specific editing change. If you are lucky you will be presenting in the school library but be prepared for a gymnasium or lunch room-sized venue. Think of those kids at the very back. Can they see and appreciate what you are sharing?

 Writers of historical fiction sometimes share artifacts or facts from the time period they write about. Share some true stories from that time too. Something drew you to writing about that event or time period, what was it?

Tip # 10

Authors know how important an opening is to hook readers. The same goes for school presentations. Be sure to read O’Neill’s article on Great Beginningswhich features examples of how authors like you have started their talks.

Author Rick Riordan

And finally, if you ever feel like you’re “trying to fill a reservoir with an eye-dropper” as you plan one school visit after another wondering if your hard work will ever pay off, read My Overnight Success by Rick Riordan for inspiration. You will carry a deeper appreciation of what it took Riordan to get where he is today, as well as be humbled by the doubt he felt along the way.

A BIG thanks to the generous authors and writers that make up the children’s book writing community. To those authors cited in this blog post, hugs all around for taking the time to share your experience.

One of the perks of being part of the Writing for Children & Young Adults Vermont College of Fine Arts (VCFA) community is access to the generosity of that VCFA community. Every year in July the faculty, students, and visiting editors, agents, and other publishing guests offer gifts for the VCFA auction aimed at raising funds for the school. The gifts range from whole novel critiques to week-long condo accommodations in Hawaii, as well as hand-knitted hats, jewelry, watches, artwork, books, and other writing related gems.

One such gem was a graphic novel lecture consult with Cynthia Leitich Smith, best-selling author of the TANTALIZE series, among others. Given her success at converting her prose into a successful graphic novel format, I was curious about the process, bid, and won. So one Saturday morning not long ago, a few VCFA alums like Frances Lee Hall and I gathered at Ann Jacobus’ home in San Francisco and googled in Cynthia for a lecture and Q & A on converting prose into a graphic novel format. Here are some of my take-away points:

Suppose you have a published novel you’d like to adapt to a graphic novel, you wouldn’t want to necessarily retell the same story from the same POV character. Think about offering new content or perspective with the goal of adding value for your readers. Perhaps tell the “same” story from a secondary character’s point of view, for example.

A graphic novel manuscript looks like a screenplay. At this point in time, formats vary by publisher. There is no standard direction—ie 12 point font, Times or Courier, 1 inch margins, double space—as exists for prose. Candlewick’s graphic novel format is: action flush left, center speaker name above centered dialogue and centered interior monologue in italics.

If you also write picture books, think of your graphic novel in the same way. Think of illustratable moments and get out of the artist’s way!

Cut, cut, and cut some more by omitting descriptions, emotional reflection, and transitions.

Simplify. Trust the artist and your reader.

Trim dialogue and exposition to the bare essentials.

Do include enough text for the story to make sense.

Think of each page as 5 panels of art. Each picture is a snapshot of one moment.

Cut, cut, and still cut. For example, from 965 prose words Cynthia cut, cut, and cut until she had 47 graphic novel words.

The biggest impression Cynthia left me with was the amount of time she and her TANTALIZE editor, Deborah Noyes Wayshak spent on the phone reviewing and revising each page. Definitely not for the chicken-hearted!

For articles on converting prose into a graphic novel format, read these articles:

You might recall an earlier post in which I interviewed Nancy Sondel, the Director of the Pacific Coast Children’s Writers Workshop. Her workshop is unlike many writing workshops in that you have an intimate exchange with an editor or agent on not just the first ten to twenty pages of your manuscript, but on your whole novel. It is also the only workshop that offers a teen component where teens have an opportunity to submit their own work and actively comment on your submission. What better opportunity could a writer get than a perspective from the targeted audience?

Last weekend about fifteen of us gathered at Pajaro Dunes located on the sandy white beaches of Santa Cruz county in Watsonville, California.

Another third of us were teens. While they participated in the master class workshops, VCFA alum, Helen Pyne delivered craft lectures and lively exercises aimed at helping them develop their own stories.

And another third came from as far as Rhode Island and Connecticut and cool companies like Pixar!

The editor/agent team consisted of the dynamic duo: Regina Griffin, Executive Editor at Egmont USA and Fiona Kenshole of Transatlantic Agency. They were fully engaged in writers’ manuscripts and offered positive constructive feedback to help writers strengthen their manuscripts. It was apparent they both love story and are dedicated to helping writers develop their craft.

Fiona even shared some outline notes on THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX that J.K. Rowling scribbled on a piece of paper, as well as a query letter that Stephen King typed up at the age of fourteen.

In honor of the 2013 release of LARA’S GIFT where at 2009 PCCWW Erin Clarke, my editor at Knopf first read my manuscript, Nancy Sondel asked me to present, “Once You’re Published, Then What and How Best To Prepare: 11 Tips”.

As part of the faculty of the 11th PCCWW, I was particularly blown away by I WILL NOT WAVER written by teen writer, Maya Tantuwaya. For those of you who know how hard it is to complete a first draft, Maya started her novel when she was eleven and finished it a year later! This is a girl to watch. I have no doubt she will one day get published. She is already that good.

Most of us were interested in hearing what the teens cited as their favorite books and why. They were each asked to pick one book they admired. Their selection included:

CHRONCILES OF CRESTOMANCI because of the characters and their world.

HOUSE ON MANGO STREET for the vignettes.

THE SHACK for the ideas it weaves into the story.

IT”S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY because of its most beautifully imperfect character.

SHIVER for the characters.

THE TAPESTRY for its diverse characters.

PAPER TOWNS for the characters.

Hmmm … as much as we all focus on plot, the majority of PCCWW teen readers were drawn to character!

And there was plenty of opportunity to walk on the beach, listen to the crash and roar of waves, and enjoy the simplicity of nature. We witnessed whales feeding close to shore and pelicans swooping into the water for breakfast each morning.

Nancy Sondel devotes a good ten months and many sleepless nights to organize this workshop with the help of writers, Carol Foote and Kat Dougherty. No detail is spared! Nancy is also the brain child behind the teen role at PCCWW, a feature that appealed to many of the writers present this year, as well as past years.

If you have a story you’re ready to share, I encourage you to check PCCWW out. You will not be disappointed by the level of feedback you get from your peers, the teens, and the editor/agent team. Some of the writers even earned enthusiastic requests from the editor and/or agent!. It could be YOU next!

Markus Zusak, author of The Book Thief, stressed the importance of details and finding the right word at a Kepler’s book signing event some years ago in Palo Alto, California. To make his point he read some writing examples with and without details. And in his humble way showed us the difference between bland writing versus writing that popped with imagery. I often think back to that night when I’m struggling to find the right word or detail. And all it takes is the thought of giving my readers bland writing to jolt me into action and make me dig more deeply.

Given Markus Zusak’s success, he’s no doubt given the “importance-of-details” talk numerous times in front of audiences all over the world to the point where you might argue that one event blends and blurs into the next.

Well, I bet I could bring Markus Zusak back to that night many years ago through the power of details. And I suspect that this is all it would take to plant him in that moment:

You begin to speak, a loud grumbling underground shakes the walls. Quite calmly, but puzzled, you step away from the podium and stand a little closer to the signing table. Again a loud grumbling shakes the walls. You look to us—your audience—for a reaction, clearly confused that we continue to sit there quietly, listening and very much focused on you. The third time the ground grumbles, your eyes dart back and forth from us to the floor searching for an explanation, until you finally ask, “Should I crawl under the table?”

Poor guy! Markus had never experienced an earthquake before. Once he learned it was just a mild one, he proceeded along in his talk and urged us to find the right word and to do your research to build trust between you and your reader.

Sometimes writers go a little overboard in their research. I became so fascinated by the world in LARA’s GIFT, I wanted to know everything about it down to the clothing Lara and her family might have worn. In my hunt for details, I found Irina from Traditional Russian Costumes who shared her knowledge of Russian period clothing with me and even made period costumes and my very own Kokoshnik (woman’s hat).

To pull readers in and engage them, strive for details that are meaningful to your story. Be sure to “own” your characters by picking details that make them stand out in a memorable way. Think of Harry Potter and the lightning bolt scar J. K. Rowling brilliantly wove into the storyline. Not only was the lightning bolt scar a specific detail I’ve never seen used in children’s literature before, it was also a meaningful detail—in revealing character and advancing plot—that carried importance in each of the seven Harry Potter books.

Details are the foundational blocks to building a good story. They let your readers see and feel their way through your story. They establish setting and make your characters come alive. Details that evoke the five senses intensify the reading experience for your readers and will leave them with images that stay with them long after they have read the last page.

Mark Twain perhaps said it best, “The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug. ”

Announcement: Natasha Wing won the free copy of LARA’S GIFT. Thank you to those who participated in the contest.

Leave a comment and share this post on some social media platform to win a FREE copy of LARA’S GIFT. For every share or comment, your name will be entered into a hat similar to the one Lara is wearing on the cover.

The winner will be drawn by the “real” Zar and announced September 5, 2013 on Quirk and Quill.

While there are many people I have thanked in the author acknowledgement pages, including my fellow S3Q2 Quirk and Quill classmates, I’d like to especially thank Deborah Halverson for offering a free manuscript critique when she launched her blog, DearEditor.com. I was the lucky recipient of her generosity and benefitted greatly from her insightful comments.

To celebrate the August 6, 2013 pub date of LARA’S GIFT, Deborah Halverson has generously offered to giveaway another free manuscript critique. So if you have a manuscript that you’d like to strengthen before you send it off to an agent or editor, be sure to check out the DearEditor blog on August 6, 2013 to learn how to participate.